Kraken Rum Unboxing at Boqueria- 10.24.09

Ok, Kraken. The rum. It’s amazing, beautiful branding and design all around, also delicious, but first things first, we aren’t going to even talk about the bottle yet… first i have to show you the most mind-blowingly cool package i received and actually shot over lunch on my whirlwind 36 hours in NY (now curled up in Oxford in a tiny B&B writing to you!)… So, just before hopping in a cab to hit the airport, popped over to Boqueria in flatiron for a lunch “meeting” ~ and am presented with a stunningly printed cardboard box sealed with the coolest kraken of a sea creature seal in a silver plastic and black satin ribbon. As i slowly pull it all apart… there’s a note addressed in calligraphy to “My Esteemed Colleague”, silhouettes of the objects of proof held within this magical box of goodies printed within the box, custom printed wrapping paper (that i want for gift wrapping! everything?), a brilliant little book, a limited edition (of 50!) poster, a black feather and a pot of Kraken Ink, a disc of films, a Kraken tooth in a corked glass vial, and a disc of films… OH, and a bottle of The Kraken black spiced rum, of course.

Leave it to Dead As We Know It and Proximo Spirits to take things so above and beyond that i’m embarrassingly sipping rum over lunch, picking at delectable tapas, shooting pictures, and having a complete giddy sensory overload at how cool every aspect of The Kraken branding is… while trying to hold a proper conversation with two of the most fascinating guys you’ll meet. This meal has pretty much set the bar rather high for future “meetings” and “photoshoots”… So, before i get even more distracted, go take a peek at the unboxing of the Kraken and some of the delicious Boqueria food!

How much do you want that seal? (Ok, so i also kind of want a NOTCOT wax seal for all “official” correspondences too…) Also, couldn’t bear to cut/break it, so slipped it off carefully, debating turning it into a fun ribbon to wear in my hair (with seal of course!)…

LOVE that they took the effort to print the silhouettes inside the box!

And the detail on this wrapping paper inside?!?!?!

and then you start to find all the goodies… designed and thought out to every cheeky little piece of copy and imagery you can imagine… the whole box must have been a packaging/branding designers dream!

*Swoon* ~ oh, the poster. On the nicest, softest paper ~ only 50 made ~ can’t even wait to frame it and add it to my office…

I must admit i’m tempted to want to break out the ink and feather, and write an elegantly doodly thank you note back to The Kraken ~ once i get my official NOTCOT wax seal, of course.

I have yet to have a free moment to watch what’s on the disc, but you can def see some awesome movies at The Kraken website (which is also stunning!)

Letter signed by Thornton Cumberbatch, the Noted Hoax Researcher.

As for the bottle itself, more details to come of this next…

Lamb skewers… fried quail egga… see how difficult it was to focus with so many things i wanted to do/eat/talk about during this lunch???

Of course we had to order squid…

bacon wrapped figs… delicious potatoes… and rum. OH, and if Boqueria sounds familiar, maybe it’s because you are an Iron Chef junkie, their chef, Seamus Mullen, is on this season’s The Next Iron Chef! So if you’re in NY, definitely try out their flatiron or newly opened soho location!

(p.s. just wanted to let you know, do NOT BYOBottle ~ i got a little over excited with the gifts, and having to fly off that afternoon, had to have a little taste of the delicious dark rum before writing this post! We may have taunted a few of the other lunch patrons more than we realized as we had to explain what was going on along the way out… as we told them, it’s a delicious new rum! Keep an eye out for it soon…)

Yes is this a promotional box? I have looked at the website and the free poster and book say coming soon, I also tried their product store location link and nothing comes up! Forget gifts I’m keeping this for myself! It reminds me of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea stuff at Tokyo Disneyland!! But they don’t sell stylish grog at Disneyland arrgggghh!

I would love to have one of those boxes. I love a good rum. I also love drawing so the feather and ink would be amazing. I don’t drink spiced rums, so I am interested in trying this one as it seems to be a high end rum. Low end spiced rums are beyond terrible.

Do you know if it’s still possible to get a promotional Kraken Box? My best mate is actually nicknamed “The Kraken” and this would make the most perfect gift of all time. I could ruin every Christmas after that and it wouldn’t matter! This is stunning and I keep feeling nervous that I won’t be able to get one!

Admittedly amazing job on packaging and branding. But, being a detail person myself (and its always easier to be critical of someone else’s work), I think the Kraken “tooth” is a slip in the edge to edge attention to detail. I know, I know, its all in fun and the Kraken is a (possibly) mythical creature, but squids of any size have beaks, not teeth. It is cool, though. I guess including a Kraken sucker wouldn’t have been quite the same - might have resembled a large, rolled, condom or something…
:-)
Anyway, as always Not Cot brings the coolest things to my attention. Thanks!

Amazing. I am a rum man, through and through. I can’t stress enough how wonderful a good rum can be. Next time you’re in a bar, take a careful look at the liquor selection. There are top and elite shelf vodkas and whiskys, but rums are still well quality at best. Captain Morgan? Really? That’s usually as good as American bars go.

If you’ve ever had a good Chilean Pisco with a real, organic cola made from sugar can (and NOT high fructose corn syrup), you know precisely why I complain. Rum can be amazing straight, but you’ll never find a rum good enough at your local bar to suffice.

I’m PUMPED to try Kraken Spiced Rum. These photos were perfect, Jean. I love it. I wrote up my own take on my site, but I wanted to be sure to pay a special thanks here. Rum can be a special thing— when produced right (Kraken) and introduced by a wonderful, trusted source (notcot).